Tech

Amazon Canada just added hundreds of items to their Boxing Day Sale

Published

4 years ago

December 26, 2020

Eat This, Not That!

Your medicine cabinet is home to a number of beauty, health, and wellness products—but the unhealthiest things in your medicine cabinet may surprise you. Next to your old tweezers and behind that bag of cotton balls, there may be products lurking that simply need to be thrown out for your own safety. “Look out for your own health, and ensure the proper storage and safe condition of your medications. At the same time, be absolutely sure to take action to keep others who share your home safe,” Gay Alcenius, a pharmacist who has managed the acute care pharmacy at Henry Ford Allegiance Health for the last 19 years, says in an article by the Henry Ford hospital staff. Here are some of the unhealthiest things in your medicine cabinet, from the experts at the CDC, FDA and other expert organizations. Read on, and to ensure your health and the health of others, don’t miss these Sure Signs You’ve Already Had Coronavirus. 1 Leftover Prescription Drugs are Unhealthy Your doctor prescribed you drugs for a specific ailment, such as antibiotics for a sinus infection or painkillers for back pain. Saving these drugs to use whenever you need can cause negative side effects, such as building a tolerance to antibiotics. “Taking antibiotics only when they are needed is an important way you can protect yourself and your family from antibiotic resistance,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).If you hang on to painkillers and stash them in your medicine cabinet, they’re easily accessible to the wrong hands, such as your kids. “About 2,460 people per week are estimated to die from drugs that were properly prescribed, and that’s based on detailed chart reviews of hospitalized patients,” says Donald Light, Ph.D. from Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine. Get rid of your old prescriptions by attending a take-back event in your area or grinding up the medications and mixing them with coffee grinds or kitty litter before throwing them in the trash. 2 Expired Medications are Unhealthy When’s the last time you check your meds’ expiration dates? If it’s been a while, you may want to add it to your to-do list. While expired medication isn’t harmful to your health, these products simply aren’t effective. “Once the expiration date has passed there is no guarantee that the medicine will be safe and effective,” says Ilisa Bernstein, Pharm.D., J.D., former Deputy Director of the Office of Compliance in FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, “If your medicine has expired, do not use it.”RELATED: The Unhealthiest Supplements You Shouldn’t Take 3 Diet Pills are Unhealthy Diet pills, even herbal ones, can cause dangerous side effects, including an irregular heartbeat, headache, dizziness, high blood pressure, or stomach issues. 23,005 emergency visits per year are attributed to weight-loss pills, according to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Out of these visits, 2,154 resulted in hospitalizations. The study concluded that most of these visits “involved cardiovascular manifestations from weight-loss or energy products among young adults and swallowing problems, often associated with micronutrients, among older adults.”Want to lose weight but stay healthy? Throw out your diet pills. Eat a healthy, balanced diet and exercise regularly. 4 Talcum Powder May Be Unhealthy Talcum powder is sometimes used to absorb moisture on the skin to prevent chafing, rashes, and skin irritation. But talc with trace amounts of asbestos were linked to an increase in ovarian cancer cases. So, in 1976, the Cosmetic, Toiletry, and Fragrances Association (CTFA) implemented guidelines that concluded “all talc used in cosmetic products in the United States should be free from detectable amounts of asbestos.” While talcum powders no longer contain asbestos, it’s still unclear whether talcum powder is safe. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) labels talc without asbestos as “not classifiable as to carcinogenicity in humans.” However, when used on sensitive areas, such as the genitals, the agency claims it may be “possibly carcinogenic to humans.” With murky studies, it’s best to simply stop using talcum powder altogether. 5 Cotton Swabs, When Used Incorrectly, Can Harm You Cotton swabs are seemingly harmless but almost everyone uses them incorrectly. You may be surprised to find out that you shouldn’t be using them to clean your ears at all. “Using a cotton swab like a plunger in the ear canal pushes earwax deeper and deeper in. One problem is that if you push the wax deeper inside, there’s no way for the wax to get swept out of the ear,” says Dr. Yu-Tung Wong, MD from Cedars-Sinai. “Also, cotton swabs can cause punctured ear drums and hearing loss. In severe cases, the cotton swab can damage many sensitive structures behind the ear canal and cause complete deafness, prolonged vertigo with nausea and vomiting, loss of taste function, and even facial paralysis.”Inserting a cotton swab into your ear is dangerous and if you’re tempted to do it, just clear that box out of your medicine cabinet. 6 Certain Heartburn Medication Was Pulled From the Market Heartburn medication can save you from pain if you overdid it on pizza or red wine. But, if your heartburn medicine contains ranitidine, it’s time to toss it. On April 1, 2020, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) asked all ranitidine drug manufacturers to pull their products from the market, effective immediately, due to the presence of N-Nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), a known cancer-causing agent. “The FDA is also advising consumers taking OTC ranitidine to stop taking this medication, including any unused ranitidine medication they may still have at home,” says Joshua Gagne, PharmD, ScD from Harvard Health. 7 Vitamin Supplements Aren’t Always Necessary Vitamin supplements are designed to provide your body with the nutrients it needs and doesn’t necessarily get from your diet. However, it’s possible to overdose on supplements, which can lead to negative health effects. Some supplements don’t mix well with certain medications, which can also be dangerous. For example, gingko is a natural supplement that may thin the blood, making it dangerous for patients already on blood thinning medication. A study published in the Journal of Internal Medicine found a “possible causal association between using ginkgo and bleeding events.””Consumers should expect nothing from supplements because we don’t have any clear evidence that they’re beneficial, and they should be leery that they could be putting themselves at risk,” says S. Bryn Austin from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. And to ensure your health and the health of others, don’t miss these Sure Signs You’ve Already Had Coronavirus.

Source:- Yahoo Canada Shine On

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Tech

Ottawa orders TikTok’s Canadian arm to be dissolved

Published

1 week ago

November 6, 2024

Anne Joseph

The federal government is ordering the dissolution of TikTok’s Canadian business after a national security review of the Chinese company behind the social media platform, but stopped short of ordering people to stay off the app.

Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne announced the government’s “wind up” demand Wednesday, saying it is meant to address “risks” related to ByteDance Ltd.’s establishment of TikTok Technology Canada Inc.

“The decision was based on the information and evidence collected over the course of the review and on the advice of Canada’s security and intelligence community and other government partners,” he said in a statement.

The announcement added that the government is not blocking Canadians’ access to the TikTok application or their ability to create content.

However, it urged people to “adopt good cybersecurity practices and assess the possible risks of using social media platforms and applications, including how their information is likely to be protected, managed, used and shared by foreign actors, as well as to be aware of which country’s laws apply.”

Champagne’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment seeking details about what evidence led to the government’s dissolution demand, how long ByteDance has to comply and why the app is not being banned.

A TikTok spokesperson said in a statement that the shutdown of its Canadian offices will mean the loss of hundreds of well-paying local jobs.

“We will challenge this order in court,” the spokesperson said.

“The TikTok platform will remain available for creators to find an audience, explore new interests and for businesses to thrive.”

The federal Liberals ordered a national security review of TikTok in September 2023, but it was not public knowledge until The Canadian Press reported in March that it was investigating the company.

At the time, it said the review was based on the expansion of a business, which it said constituted the establishment of a new Canadian entity. It declined to provide any further details about what expansion it was reviewing.

A government database showed a notification of new business from TikTok in June 2023. It said Network Sense Ventures Ltd. in Toronto and Vancouver would engage in “marketing, advertising, and content/creator development activities in relation to the use of the TikTok app in Canada.”

Even before the review, ByteDance and TikTok were lightning rod for privacy and safety concerns because Chinese national security laws compel organizations in the country to assist with intelligence gathering.

Such concerns led the U.S. House of Representatives to pass a bill in March designed to ban TikTok unless its China-based owner sells its stake in the business.

Champagne’s office has maintained Canada’s review was not related to the U.S. bill, which has yet to pass.

Canada’s review was carried out through the Investment Canada Act, which allows the government to investigate any foreign investment with potential to might harm national security.

While cabinet can make investors sell parts of the business or shares, Champagne has said the act doesn’t allow him to disclose details of the review.

Wednesday’s dissolution order was made in accordance with the act.

The federal government banned TikTok from its mobile devices in February 2023 following the launch of an investigation into the company by federal and provincial privacy commissioners.

— With files from Anja Karadeglija in Ottawa

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 6, 2024.

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Health

Here is how to prepare your online accounts for when you die

Published

3 weeks ago

October 24, 2024

Anne Joseph

LONDON (AP) — Most people have accumulated a pile of data — selfies, emails, videos and more — on their social media and digital accounts over their lifetimes. What happens to it when we die?

It’s wise to draft a will spelling out who inherits your physical assets after you’re gone, but don’t forget to take care of your digital estate too. Friends and family might treasure files and posts you’ve left behind, but they could get lost in digital purgatory after you pass away unless you take some simple steps.

Here’s how you can prepare your digital life for your survivors:

Apple

The iPhone maker lets you nominate a “ legacy contact ” who can access your Apple account’s data after you die. The company says it’s a secure way to give trusted people access to photos, files and messages. To set it up you’ll need an Apple device with a fairly recent operating system — iPhones and iPads need iOS or iPadOS 15.2 and MacBooks needs macOS Monterey 12.1.

For iPhones, go to settings, tap Sign-in & Security and then Legacy Contact. You can name one or more people, and they don’t need an Apple ID or device.

You’ll have to share an access key with your contact. It can be a digital version sent electronically, or you can print a copy or save it as a screenshot or PDF.

Take note that there are some types of files you won’t be able to pass on — including digital rights-protected music, movies and passwords stored in Apple’s password manager. Legacy contacts can only access a deceased user’s account for three years before Apple deletes the account.

Google

Google takes a different approach with its Inactive Account Manager, which allows you to share your data with someone if it notices that you’ve stopped using your account.

When setting it up, you need to decide how long Google should wait — from three to 18 months — before considering your account inactive. Once that time is up, Google can notify up to 10 people.

You can write a message informing them you’ve stopped using the account, and, optionally, include a link to download your data. You can choose what types of data they can access — including emails, photos, calendar entries and YouTube videos.

There’s also an option to automatically delete your account after three months of inactivity, so your contacts will have to download any data before that deadline.

Facebook and Instagram

Some social media platforms can preserve accounts for people who have died so that friends and family can honor their memories.

When users of Facebook or Instagram die, parent company Meta says it can memorialize the account if it gets a “valid request” from a friend or family member. Requests can be submitted through an online form.

The social media company strongly recommends Facebook users add a legacy contact to look after their memorial accounts. Legacy contacts can do things like respond to new friend requests and update pinned posts, but they can’t read private messages or remove or alter previous posts. You can only choose one person, who also has to have a Facebook account.

You can also ask Facebook or Instagram to delete a deceased user’s account if you’re a close family member or an executor. You’ll need to send in documents like a death certificate.

TikTok

The video-sharing platform says that if a user has died, people can submit a request to memorialize the account through the settings menu. Go to the Report a Problem section, then Account and profile, then Manage account, where you can report a deceased user.

Once an account has been memorialized, it will be labeled “Remembering.” No one will be able to log into the account, which prevents anyone from editing the profile or using the account to post new content or send messages.

It’s not possible to nominate a legacy contact on Elon Musk’s social media site. But family members or an authorized person can submit a request to deactivate a deceased user’s account.

Passwords

Besides the major online services, you’ll probably have dozens if not hundreds of other digital accounts that your survivors might need to access. You could just write all your login credentials down in a notebook and put it somewhere safe. But making a physical copy presents its own vulnerabilities. What if you lose track of it? What if someone finds it?

Instead, consider a password manager that has an emergency access feature. Password managers are digital vaults that you can use to store all your credentials. Some, like Keeper,Bitwarden and NordPass, allow users to nominate one or more trusted contacts who can access their keys in case of an emergency such as a death.

But there are a few catches: Those contacts also need to use the same password manager and you might have to pay for the service.

___

Is there a tech challenge you need help figuring out? Write to us at onetechtip@ap.org with your questions.

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Tech

Google’s partnership with AI startup Anthropic faces a UK competition investigation

Published

3 weeks ago

October 24, 2024

Anne Joseph

LONDON (AP) — Britain’s competition watchdog said Thursday it’s opening a formal investigation into Google’s partnership with artificial intelligence startup Anthropic.

The Competition and Markets Authority said it has “sufficient information” to launch an initial probe after it sought input earlier this year on whether the deal would stifle competition.

The CMA has until Dec. 19 to decide whether to approve the deal or escalate its investigation.

“Google is committed to building the most open and innovative AI ecosystem in the world,” the company said. “Anthropic is free to use multiple cloud providers and does, and we don’t demand exclusive tech rights.”

San Francisco-based Anthropic was founded in 2021 by siblings Dario and Daniela Amodei, who previously worked at ChatGPT maker OpenAI. The company has focused on increasing the safety and reliability of AI models. Google reportedly agreed last year to make a multibillion-dollar investment in Anthropic, which has a popular chatbot named Claude.

Anthropic said it’s cooperating with the regulator and will provide “the complete picture about Google’s investment and our commercial collaboration.”

“We are an independent company and none of our strategic partnerships or investor relationships diminish the independence of our corporate governance or our freedom to partner with others,” it said in a statement.

The U.K. regulator has been scrutinizing a raft of AI deals as investment money floods into the industry to capitalize on the artificial intelligence boom. Last month it cleared Anthropic’s $4 billion deal with Amazon and it has also signed off on Microsoft’s deals with two other AI startups, Inflection and Mistral.

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